There is no political leadership in Matabeleland: Zwide Khumalo

Mr Peter Zwide Kalanga Khumalo, a descendent of Ndebele king, Lobengula, is reported to have has said the people of Bulawayo should not handle the issue of the de-industrialisation of the city emotionally, but look at it objectively.

Mr Khumalo said the only way forward was for the Government to identify key companies that could be resuscitated as part of measures to revive the industry in the region.

Speaking at a meeting organised by the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations on the closure and relocation of industries from Bulawayo to Harare on Tuesday, Mr Khumalo said debate on the de-industrialisation of Bulawayo should be based on facts and should be conducted in an objective manner.

"The issue of Bulawayo industry has been looked at from an emotional point of view with no objectivity and facts," said Mr Khumalo, a holder of a Master in Business Administration degree.

"There is a need for Government to identify key industries such as the National Railways of Zimbabwe, the Cold Storage Company and Hwange Colliery. These are giant industries whose viability affects the operations of other companies in the city."

Mr Khumalo said the Government should conduct thorough consultations over issues that affect Bulawayo and come up with solid policies that would promote investment and protect the development gains of the city.

He attacked the political leadership from Matabeleland region, accusing it of failing to fully lobby for the region's interests.

"There is no political leadership in Matabeleland. What we have are political party leaders who are pre-occupied with their party manifestos at the expense of development. It is sad that none of them has spoken about the vision for the region," said Mr Khumalo.

"Leaders from this region come up with promises for the region when they are campaigning during election time. If they do not come with a vision for the region then no one should vote for them. We would rather pick someone from somewhere as long as that person has a vision for the region."

Speaking at the same occasion, participants called for collective efforts towards transforming the region's development.

They said industries that seek to close their operations should be compelled to present valid reasons why they were closing down.

Some said the issue should be addressed through the indigenisation policy.

"The indigenisation policy should narrow down to empowering people at local level so that everyone can benefit from it. It should spell out clearly how locals would benefit. It should prioritise giving employment opportunities to people from this region," said another participant.

They said people from the region should stand up and be counted instead of going to South Africa.

"We should stop going to South Africa and start focusing on education. We need to work together and stop blaming others for our problems," said another participant.

Others said the under-development of the region was linked to the demise of the linguistic and cultural fabric of the region.